I finished a pair of Sissoo bowls tonight. This was wood from a tree blown over in a storm at Boyce Thompson Arboretum. In exchange for the wood I promised to donate a couple of finished pieces back to them. These pieces were roughed out way back on day 20. http://agoodturndaily.blogspot.com/2009/09/day-20-float-like-butterfly.html The 3rd and smallest piece developed a deep crack and broke in half.
Sissoo, also called Indian Rosewood, is now a fairly common tree in the Phoenix area. They're planted as a landscape tree because of their fast growth and minimal water needs.
Bottom view. I prefer the color of the heartwood in these pieces but the contrast between the heartwood and the sapwood is very dramatic.
Song of the night:
Radiohead, Karma Police
Monday, January 11, 2010
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The bowls look great. What did you finish them with? How do you hold them to turn the bottoms?
ReplyDeleteJeff, I have a 5 gallon bucket of Danish Oil (Watco I think). They're held on the lathe with a vacuum chuck. I have a vacuum pump that creates negative pressure through the spindle and a vacuum drum I made out of a PVC pipe coupler, some scrap wood, and a sheet of closed cell foam. The vacuum applies up to 12 PSI to the vacuum drum which has a surface area of about 7 square inches. That's where the 80 pound figure comes from, 7 square inches @ 12 PSI. Once you have one you'll wonder how you ever lived without one.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome to come check it out or I can send you the document I used when I put mine together.